UFC 145 Results: Mark Bocek Spoils the Return of John Alessio, Wins Via Decision

Mark Bocek quickly worked his UFC 145 fight against John Alessio on Saturday night up against the cage and had control of his opponent's back only 90 seconds into the first round. With a quick trip, he dragged Alessio to the mat and landed some big elbows from half guard.

Alessio was able to get back into guard, but Bocek landed some vicious ground-and-pound before moving back into half-guard. Bocek worked back onto Alessio's back and secured a body triangle before the end of a dominant first round.

The second round was better for Alessio, who came out quickly and used crisp boxing to score points early before Bocek used his superior grappling to control the remainder of the round. Alessio's corner made it very clear he needed a knockout to win, while Bocek was advised to grapple as much as possible.

Round 3 showed promise for Alessio, but a caught low kick brought the fight back down to the canvas, where Bocek controlled the back with a body triangle. Alessio fans found hope on two occasions when Alessio returned to his feet, but it was short-lived each time.

Bocek received the nod on the scorecard of all three judges, winning 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

With the win, Bocek improves to 7-4 inside the Octagon, with an overall record of 11-4. His only losses since 2008 have come at the hands of contender Jim Miller and current champion Benson Henderson. It makes you wonder what level of opponent he will receive for his next bout.

This was Alessio's fourth shot in the Octagon, and he has yet to find success. After each of his previous three losses, Alessio was handed a pink slip by the Zuffa boys. Will they drop the hammer on Alessio for a fourth time, or will they reward him with another chance? After all, he did step in on short notice against a very game opponent.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for coverage on all things UFC 145.